A Mississippi grand jury has indicted a former Capitol Police officer and a current one who is on leave without pay for manslaughter in the 2022 shooting death of 25-year-old Jaylen Lewis, court documents filed in March show.
Steven Randolph Frederick, Jr., and Michael Rhinewalt acted “willfully, unlawfully, and feloniously, without malice, without authority of law and not in necessary self-defense,” when they shot Lewis during a traffic stop, the true bill document alleges.
‘Did You Identify Yourself?’
NBC News reported in Feb. 2023 that Jaylen Lewis’ sister, Alexus Lewis, got a call from a friend the night of Sept. 25, 2022, telling her that her brother’s vehicle had been shot at. He had been driving with an unnamed female passenger who survived the incident.
When she arrived at the scene, EMTs had already taken her brother away in an ambulance. He died the next day at the hospital.
Arkela Lewis, Jaylen Lewis’ mother, told WAPT on Sept. 29, 2022, that because of a lack of transparency from the Mississippi Department of Public Safety about the events of that night, she remained in the dark about what exactly happened to her son. “I just want to know what happened. I want to know, were the lights pulled on when you pulled my baby over? What was he doing?” she said.
“Did you identify yourself as a police officer? Did you give my son a chance to identify himself?” she continued.
A subsequent police report stated that Capitol Police officers attempted to pull Jaylen Lewis over for a traffic stop and eventually, a death certificate confirmed that he suffered a gunshot to the head during the ordeal, NBC News reported on Feb. 24, 2023.
‘That Terrifies Me’
On March 14, the Mississippi grand jury determined that Rhinewalt and Walker did not have a reasonable belief that their lives were in danger when they shot at Jaylen Lewis.
“On or about September 25, 2022, in Hinds County, Mississippi, and within the jurisdiction of this court, the defendants STEVEN RANDOLPH FREDERICK JR. and MICHAEL LAMAR RHINEWALT, while acting in concert with each other, did willfully, unlawfully, and feloniously, without malice, without authority of law and not in necessary self-defense, shoot and kill Jaylen Lewis, by use of a dangerous weapon, to wit: a firearm, and that STEVEN RANDOLPH FREDERICK JR. and MICHAEL LAMAR RHINEWALT were acting in his actual and bona fide belief that such killing was necessary to protect himself from great bodily harm or death at the hands of Jaylen Lewis, but that such belief by STEVEN RANDOLPH FREDERICK JR. and MICHAEL LAMAR RHINEWALT was not a reasonable belief under the circumstances, in direct violation of Section 97-3-35, Mississippi Code 1972 Annotated, as amended, contrary to the form of the statute in such cases provided and against the peace and dignity of the State of Mississippi,” the Mississippi grand jury alleged in the March 14, 2025, indictment.
The document does not say which officer shot Lewis.
His shooting death was one of several involving Capitol Police since state lawmakers expanded the agency’s jurisdiction.
Arkela Lewis spoke out in 2023 against the State expanding the jurisdiction of the Capitol Police. “That terrifies me. It also angers me,” a March 6, 2023, Associated Press report quotes her as saying.
The Capitol Police force now has concurrent jurisdiction across the entirety of Jackson, Mississippi Department of Public Safety Communications Specialist Bailey Martin confirmed in a statement to the Mississippi Free Press on April 10.
However, the Capitol Police are not beholden to oversight from the City of Jackson. On April 15, the Mississippi Department of Public Safety released the following statement regarding the indictment of Rhinewalt and Frederick:
“Frederick resigned from the Mississippi Department of Public Safety in March 2023 shortly after being involved in a traffic accident while off duty. Rhinewalt has been on administrative leave without pay and has not been actively employed with the agency since January of 2025.
“To further strengthen accountability, MDPS has established an Internal Affairs Division that operates independently of other agencies within MDPS and reports directly to Commissioner Tindell. This division includes dedicated investigators tasked with independently handling complaints of officer misconduct. In addition, Capitol Police officers now wear body cameras and additional policies have been instituted to ensure greater professionalism and accountability. Anyone wishing to file a complaint can do so at our website (www.dps.ms.gov).
“Due to pending civil litigation and the pending criminal case, no further statement will be provided at this time.”
Although Frederick resigned from the Capitol Police Department in March 2023, he now works for the Scott County Sheriff’s Department, Mississippi Today reported on April 15.
‘Do I Matter?’
Michael Rhinewalt also faces two aggravated assault charges stemming from a separate purported traffic stop he executed a month before Jaylen Lewis’ death.
Sherita Harris was sitting in the passenger seat of a car driven by her friend, Sinatra Jordan, on the night of Aug. 14, 2022, when Rhinewalt and Officer Jeffrey Walker engaged their vehicle.
Walker testified during a Sept. 15, 2022, preliminary Hinds County court hearing that he and Rhinewalt initiated a traffic stop of the vehicle after the driver allegedly failed to stop at a red traffic light.
A Mississippi grand jury eventually indicted Jordan on March 31, 2023, in the Hinds County Circuit Court for the charges of feloniously fleeing law enforcement and two counts of aggravated assault related to the incident, alleging that Jordan shot at the officers “multiple times with a firearm,” although Jordan disputed the officers side of the story.
Police never charged Harris with a crime.
She filed a $3-million civil complaint against the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, Mississippi Capitol Police and the two officers on Dec. 20, 2023, alleging in court documents that the officers used excessive force during a police chase following the traffic stop on Aug. 14, 2022.
Harris said she sought compensation for the physical injuries and psychological anguish she suffers because of what happened that night. “My whole face is paralyzed. I can’t eat, I can’t barely talk. I’m embarrassed of it. I wasn’t driving; why did I get shot?” Harris said with tears streaming down her face.
“This changed my life forever. I can never be me,” she continued. “I didn’t even get an apology. Do I matter?”
Nearly a year later, a grand jury decided to bring the assault charges against Rhinewalt and Walker, alleging that they “willfully, unlawfully, and feloniously” attempted to “cause bodily injury” to both Jordan and Harris, a Dec. 26, 2024, court filing states.
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